WSJ: Apple Working on 2 New Phones

Posted on Mar 29, 2010

Citing unnamed sources, The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is working on not one but two new iPhones, including a device that will run on Verizon’s network. Engadget says one device could be called the iPhone HD.

If true, the name suggests that Apple’s next iPhone will not be capable of 4G data speeds, which isn’t surprising given how long it is taking AT&T and Verizon to build and test their next-generation LTE networks. The only other serious 4G candidate at the moment would be Sprint, but the smaller carrier looks to be making other plans.

There is always a surplus of iPhone rumors, but the Journal has a decent track record, and most gadget enthusiasts would be surprised if Apple didn’t make an iPhone announcement or release sometime around this June. —PZS

Wall Street Journal:

While Apple has unveiled a new iPhone every June or July since launching the product in 2007, the new model with CDMA capability, the cellular technology used by Verizon, is notable because Apple and AT&T Inc. have long had an exclusive relationship with the iPhone. That has given AT&T a competitive edge over other carriers including Verizon for the last three years.

The people briefed on the matter said one of the new iPhones is being manufactured by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., which produced Apple’s previous iPhones. The model that has CDMA capability, used by Verizon Wireless, is being manufactured by Pegatron Technology Corp., the contract manufacturing subsidiary of Taiwan’s ASUSTeK Computer Inc., said these people.

Soon after the news broke, we were informed that the next-generation iPhone would be announced on June 22nd (a Tuesday, naturally) and would be dubbed the iPhone HD (a name that has been tossed around before). That certainly makes sense given that Apple almost certainly has to up the pixel count in order to rival the EVO 4G, HD2 and all of those other high-res handsets, but we’re still reserving judgment until we see that fateful media invite hit our inbox.